WRC Safari Rally: Speedster Varese feels unstoppable after acquiring powerful machine

Toyota will send a formidable line-up to battle for honours in the third leg of the 2026 World Rally Championship (WRC), the Safari Rally in Naivasha on March 12-15.

The squad is composed of Welshman Elfyn Evans, who will defend his Safari Rally victory from last year.

Others are World Driver's champion, Sebastian Ogier of France, Swedish daredevil Oliver Solberg, Toyota home boy Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari of Finland

The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team (WRT) will ply trade in Naivasha in their superior GR Yaris Rally1 machine, seeking a sixth consecutive victory since the return of WRC to Kenyan soil in 2021.

To empower local charges in the global motorsport showdown, Toyota has gone ahead to deliver another powerful vehicle, the GR Yaris Rally3 machine, locally built in Kenya and the first one of its kind in the country, that will be used by SportPesa Racing driver Leonardo Varese and his long-term navigator Kigo Kareithi.

The duo is excited ahead of their debut at the Safari Rally, which returned to WRC status in the country six years ago.

They are also thrilled with the Sh40 million support by SportPesa to help them prepare for the Safari Rally and other motorsports events lined up in the course of the season.

Varese and Kareithi spend a better part of the weekend in Nairobi launching test drives with their newly acquired toy at the Kasarani Super Special Stage on Sunday.

They sped the vehicle, did flat-out splashes, manoeuvred rocky and soggy patches and hair-raising drifts to gauge the vehicle's readiness for the rally.

“This is the quickest machine I have ever driven in my life,” 54-year-old Varese told Standard Sports after making the daredevil stunts on the soggy Kasarani terrains.

“It’s a brand-new car, we haven’t driven it anywhere, and from the recce that we have just conducted, we have realised that water is coming in when we took the big splashes flat out.

“The open places need sealing. We have also noticed that some of the guards are not in place. Nonetheless, the car has amazing power and its hand control is beautiful,” the father of two explained.

Despite having such a road warrior, Varese says they are only going for the national category in the Safari Rally.

“We acquired the car late, so we didn’t get time to gain other entries, especially in the main WRC and the African Rally Championship (ARC) slots, so we will be going for the jugular in the Kenya National Rally Championship (KNRC) category, where we are aiming for a top-five finish.

“We know the car is amazing and powerful, which makes us contenders for the KNRC throne, but we just want to be realistic with our top five target, because it’s our debut in the Safari Rally,” he explained.

When asked if he feels they are really ready to roar in this year’s Safari Rally, Varese said: “Technically yes, but we will be fully ready on the D-Day.

“Right now, we are going to fix a few loose ends that we have experienced from the test drives we have had in this recce. The car should be perfectly ready by the end of this week.”

Talking of his chemistry with his navigator ahead of the rally, the six-time 2WD national champion said Kareithi is the best person to call out the pace notes for him in the Safari Rally, as they have known each other all the way from high school.

“I have full trust in him; we have passed through ups and downs since our days in high school. We have grown together. Our friendship goes beyond partnership; we are a family,” Varese said.

Away from the seat bucket, Varese says they have taken up other initiatives, like dieting and working out, to stay fit ahead of the rally.

“In my rallying career, I have noticed that talent is not just enough; you need fitness too. Personally, I do strength training. This is conducted by my wife, who is a fitness enthusiast. Her guidance in this has seen me trim about four to five kilos.

“I also do 15 hours of fasting every day to clear my brain from any mind fog. This, too, has helped to balance my weight. I also do a 5km run three times a week,” the reigning 2WD national champion said.

The agricultural products transport guru further added: “My navigator and I are really grateful for the full support we are getting from our sponsors.

“They have helped us to acquire the powerful car, register for the Safari Rally, we will also be taking part in the KNRC series in the course of the year, and for the first time we will be participating outside the country at the ARC leg in Tanzania.”

Varese has called upon fans, especially Kenyan spectators, to turn up in numbers in Naivasha to cheer local drivers as they comb the rough lakeside terrains in search for glory during the Safari Rally.

“And kindly remember not to drink and drive. Let’s have a beautiful and incident-free rally,” he said.

Both Varese and Kareithi have done the Safari Rally before (but not under WRC status), winning the 2WD category in 2006.

Their last Safari Rally outing was in 2019, when the event was a WRC candidate rally paving the way for the global motorsports return on Kenyan soil in 2021 after a 19-year hiatus.

“Actually, what prompted us to go for the Safari Rally this season is the thirst for a greater challenge after bagging the national 2WD category six times, with our last victory nailed last year, we hope for the best in the Safari Rally as we plan to expand our motorsport territory,” noted Varese.